Progression 2.0

New hero, in-game event and skins!

With our next patch, we’re overhauling player and hero progression, adding
new loot and customization options, along with different ways to unlock everything in
the game.

Loot Chests will let you get the goodies you previously bought with gold (or in the
Shop), plus cool new items like sprays, banners, emojis, announcers, and more. Best of all, you
can join us right now in the Heroes 2.0 Beta to try all of the system changes we’ve made,
and check out all of the epic loot we’ve added to the game.

Learn More

What is Heroes 2.0?

What is Heroes 2.0?

Heroes 2.0 is the culmination of all the ways we’ve transformed
the Nexus since launch, plus plenty of radical additions on their way to the game right
now!
Learn more
about Heroes 2.0 →

A Hero’s Journey Never Ends

The first major update coming with Heroes of the Storm 2.0 is a massive overhaul of our
leveling and progression systems! In our next patch, we’ve decided to make progression more straightforward by removing the
Player Level cap and transforming it into the sum of all the Hero levels you’ve gained. We’ve also
removed the Hero level cap so that your ability to continue progressing is near
limitless.

As a result, the XP you’ll earn by completing games will now
only affect your Hero progression.
Whenever you gain a new Hero level, your overall Player Level will increase as
well.

Uncapping progression helps us accomplish our goals to make
progression more frequent and more
meaningful. It also gives us enough flexibility to reward you with some sweet
in-game loot every
time you level up one of your Heroes!

We’re rolling out game-changing additions to make Heroes of the Storm a new, even better
experience: stronger player progression in the form of Loot Chests; innovative new
Battlegrounds
from more Blizzard universes; new mechanical twists on over-the-top brawls; and, of course,
tons
of rule-shattering Heroes.

Flaunt Your Prowess

As your Heroes reach new heights, and your player level hits certain milestones in the
progression system, the badge art on your portrait will become more and more elaborate.

Your portrait badge art will become more intricate for every
25 levels you earn. Upon reaching level 100, your visible level will reset to 1 and
you’ll don a badge that’s even more epic so that you can show off your dedication
anywhere your portrait is visible.

While your portrait badge will only display your level up to
99, you can always check out your total player level by heading to your profile.

Hero XP and Level Adjustments

After closely examining the rates that Heroes were leveling-up in the previous progression
system, we found they were commonly progressing through the lower levels far too quickly. So
quickly, that players often jumped from level one to three after just one game, which didn’t
feel particularly meaningful or valuable.

On the flip side, climbing through the upper Hero levels in the previous system could take
hours
and hours of play to earn a single level. Leveling up feels great, and we want to make sure
that
happens much more often for your high-level Heroes.

Our next patch brings significant changes to Hero level XP requirements that should satisfy
both
of these concerns. We’ve slightly increased XP requirements during the first few Hero
Levels,
and reduced the amount of play needed to progress during later Hero levels by approximately
75-80%.

These changes also mean that some of your current Hero levels may shift
around a
bit after you log in on patch day. Heroes who were above level 5 before the
patch will likely gain a level or more!

Example: Heroes who were level 10 prior to the patch
will shift up to about
Level 15 in the new system. Those who were level 20 will be adjusted to
approximately
level 55!

Since we increased XP requirements for lower levels, some of your lower level
Heroes may see adjustments as well. However, you will never lose any Hero
levels. Instead, these Heroes will now be set to the amount of XP required
to
reach that same progression in the same level they attained before.

Example: A Hero who had progressed 50% into level 3
prior to the patch will
not
be adjusted down to level 2 in the new system. Instead, that Hero will
remain at
level 3 with 50% of the XP needed to get to level 4.

Loot Chests: Treasure for Everybody!

Our next patch brings Loot Chests—packages containing random
assortments of nearly every awesome reward in the game, including Heroes
themselves—to Heroes of the Storm, and you’re going to get one every single time you
level up!

In addition to regular Loot Chests, you’ll also pick up Rare and Epic Loot Chests as you
continue
your climb in the progression system. Each chest type is guaranteed to award at least one
item
of that Chest’s rarity level or higher, though even standard Loot Chests have a chance to
contain Rare, Epic, or Legendary items.

Common loot Chest

Rare loot Chest

Epic loot Chest

Additionally, for every 10 levels you earn with the same Hero, you’ll receive a Hero-Specific
Loot Chest, guaranteed to contain at least one item for that Hero. We’re also planning to
regularly add new items to Loot Chests, so you’ll always have exciting new drops to look out
for
when you open your chests.

Loot Chest Type

Reward Frequency

Common

Every Player Level that does not award a Rare or Epic Loot Chest

Rare

Every 5 Player Levels

Epic

Every 25 Player Levels

Hero-Specific

Every 10 Player Levels

If you don’t want to wait on level-ups to crack open a bunch of Loot Chests, or you happen to
feel extra lucky one day, then you’ll also find Loot Chests available for purchase via the
Buy
button on the Loot page in the game’s menus.

Gear Up with New Cosmetic Items!

Start ripping through your Loot Chests any time you like by heading to the new Loot tab that
we’ve added to the game menus at the top of the screen. Each chest you open has an
assortment of
four (4), randomized items. In addition to Heroes, Skins, and Mounts, Loot Chests will award
you
with a myriad of new cosmetic items that you can use to customize Heroes of the Storm like
never
before.

Announcers:
Customize your Battleground Announcers by choosing
voiceover from some of
your favorite Heroes. Listen in as they call out your takedowns, kill streaks,
and much, much more during your games.

Voice Lines: Cheer on your allies and jeer your opponents by sounding
off in-game with
your
Hero’s most quotable catchphrase.

Banners:
Make a show of dominance over the enemy team by
raising a flag with your
personal symbol whenever you destroy a Fort or Keep, capture a Merc Camp, or capture
an objective.

Sprays: Make your mark on the field of battle by dropping unique
icons and tags on
the terrain. Better still, we’ve added a number of animated sprays you can use
to give your Battleground graffiti a little extra oomph.

Emojis: Chat in Heroes of the Storm is about to get a whole lot
more expressive,
because we’re adding a massive collection of stylized and Hero-specific Emojis that
you can use both in and out of game. While in-game, your Emojis will even
convert to match the Hero you’re currently using so long as you own one of that Hero’s
Emoji packs.

Portraits: We’re adding a boatload of new Portraits to Heroes of
the Storm so that you
have even more opportunity to show off your personality on loading screens, in
your profile, and the out-of-game UI.

Shards: Shards can be used to forge specific cosmetic items that
you’re looking to
add to your collection. Varying amounts of Shards can appear in your Loot Chest
drops, and any duplicate items you receive in a Loot Chest will automatically
fragment into Shards!

Let’s say your latest Loot Chest offered rewards that don’t quite fit your style—No problem! You can spend a
little gold to re-roll the contents of every Loot Chest you receive up to three times. Choose which Chests you
want to reroll wisely, because once you do, those items will be gone for good.

Finally, Heroes players who are level 3 or higher in the new progression system will get at least 5 free Loot
Chests to start, as well as a special portrait. Those of you who have already racked up a bunch of levels in
Heroes are going to get up to 70 Loot Chests to open on patch day. The higher your player level, the more you’ll receive.

Do Combat in Style with Collections and Loadouts

We’re excited to announce the arrival of the Collection, which you can use to keep track of
the growing pile of treasures that you’ll unlock through progression
rewards, Loot Chests, and in-game purchases. The Collection replaces the Shop in the game’s menus
and serves as a central location for purchasing new items, Shard crafting, and browsing and
sorting through just about every item in the game.

With a Collection that’s brimming with loot, you’re going to want to gear up your Heroes so
they inspire awe in allies and enemies alike. Use the new Loadout button on
Hero Select to outfit your roster with preferred Skins, Mounts, Sprays, and more—even
Announcers can be set on a per-Loadout basis!

Collection view

Loadout panel

You can create up to three Loadouts per Hero, and they’re automatically saved, so
you’ll
always have the perfect item synergy prepped before diving into your next game.

Reworked Progression Rewards and Profile

In addition to Loot Chests, we’re rewarding you with even more epic goodies at certain Player Level milestones in
the new Heroes of the Storm progression system.

Player Level

Rewards

Level 1

First 10 Hero Rotation Slots

Level 5

1,000 Gems + Hero Rotation Slot 11

Level 10

7 Day Stimpack + Hero Rotation Slot 12

Level 15

Hero Rotation Slot 13

Level 20

Hero Rotation Slot 14

Every Level-Up

1 Common Loot Chest

Every 5 Levels

1 Rare Loot Chest

Every 25 Levels

150 Gems + 1 Epic Loot Chest

Gems are a new currency we’re introducing as part of Heroes 2.0, and
you can learn more about them by clicking here.

Hero Level Progression Rewards

With the arrival of the new progression system, we’ve also overhauled the rewards that
you
can earn by leveling up your individual Heroes. One of the most significant changes
we’re
making is that Skin Variations, Mount Variations, and Master Skins, are no longer
unlockable
through Hero Progression. Instead, they are now individual items that you can receive in
Loot Chests or pick up in the Shop.

However, please note that if you’ve already purchased a Skin or Mount using gold
or
real money before the patch arrives, you’ll permanently receive the base version and
both of
its variations on patch day —whether or not you had previously unlocked those
variations.

Take a moment to look over the other changes we’re implementing for Hero Progression:

Hero Level

Reward

Level 5

Hero Portrait

Level 15

Master Hero Portrait

Every 5 Hero levels

500 Gold

Every 10 Hero levels

1 Hero-Specific Loot Chest

A New Look for Your Profile

At this point, you may be asking yourself how you’re supposed to keep track of all these
progression changes, as well as which rewards you’ll earn, and when. Don’t worry, we’ve got
you covered!

We’ve reworked and reorganized your profile so that it’s even easier to navigate,
and better
accommodates the progression and reward updates coming to Heroes with our next patch.

On the Progression tab, you’ll find details about your Player
Level, which of your Heroes are
closest to leveling-up, as well as the next few rewards that are headed your way at
any given
time.

Gold, Gems, and Shards

Alongside Gold, we’re adding Gems as a new virtual currency, and Shards as a new
crafting material with the arrival of our next patch. Check below for a brief description of how
to get your hands on Gold, Gems, and Shards in Heroes 2.0, as well as how to use them.

Existing Currency: Gold

Get it: You’ll still earn gold regularly by
playing Heroes matches,
leveling up
your Heroes, and completing Daily Quests.

Spend it on: Heroes and Loot Chest Rerolls.

New Currency: Gems

Get them: You can use real money to purchase
Gems in the Gem Shop.
You’ll also receive free Gems at regular intervals just by reaching certain account level
milestones.

Spend them on: Loot Chests, Heroes,
Stimpacks, and featured items (such as Bundles).

Forge Items with Shards!

Get them: As mentioned previously, varying amounts of Shards can
appear as
Loot Chest drops, and any duplicate items you receive in Loot Chests will automatically be
fragmented into Shards.

Your total Gem count is displayed next to the party panel in the game
menus at
the top of the screen, and clicking the “+” button will take you to the
Gem Shop
where you can use real money to buy additional Gems.

In addition to forging Skins and Mounts with Shards, or finding them in
Loot
Chests, you can also head to the Collection screen to find a selection
of
Featured Skins and Mounts available for purchase using Gems. Featured
items will
rotate regularly, so you always have the chance to pick up a fresh set
of
specific items that you haven’t managed to unlock through other
methods.

Cashing In

While new players will earn their first few Loot Chests quickly as they rise through the
early levels, we haven’t
forgotten about those of you who have been throwing down in the Nexus for a while.

Whether you’ve only played a handful of games, or you’re a die-hard veteran of the Nexus,
you’re going to get
free loot immediately upon logging in to Heroes of the Storm after patch day. Depending
on your overall Account
Level after installing the patch, we’re going to award you with a wealth of Loot
Chests:

Account Level

Rewards

Completed at least 1 Heroes match

5 Common Loot Chests

Every 10 Account Levels

+1 Common Loot Chest (35 Maximum)

Every 25 Account Levels

+1 Rare Loot Chest (20 Maximum)

Every 100 Account Levels

+1 Epic Loot Chest (10 Maximum)

Additionally, because we’ve reduced the amount of XP needed to progress through later
levels, those of you who
already have lots of high-level Heroes will now level up—and unlock corresponding
rewards—far more frequently
than before.

Join Us During the Heroes 2.0 Beta

As you can see, there are a ton of major changes coming to Heroes of the Storm with our next
patch, and we’d like to
request your help in playtesting all of them. We’ve set up a month-long Beta test so that we
can hunt down any bugs
and start gathering your feedback.

You can read the instructions below to dive into Beta and start checking out all of the new
items, systems, and other
changes right now!

Use the Region selector found above the “Play” button to switch to
“Heroes 2.0 Beta.”

Hit the big, blue “Install” button, and then log in to start
playtesting!

There are also a few important details that you should be aware of during the Heroes 2.0
Beta:

Real money cannot be used to buy Gems or make any other purchases in the Heroes 2.0
Beta.

Instead, you’ll earn Gems by completing a Weekly Quest that will only be
available during the Beta.

Finally, any items unlocked or purchased during the Beta will not transfer to your live
Heroes of the Storm
account.

We hope you have a blast digging into this massive update for Heroes of the Storm, and we’d
love to hear your
constructive feedback on everything that’s changing. Be sure to head to the official
Heroes forums
to let us know what you think.

Until next time, we’ll see you in the Nexus… with your fancy new loot!